Trembling World
by xAltaria
Summary: Unbridled chaos and a lingering promise, stretched across both time and space to form a wish that transcends all that bars it. In the process of recreating that future and containing the chaos that's leaked from where it was meant to be, something from a friendship long ago grows into something else. Post XIII-2. Eventual HxL.
1. Transcendent Wings

**So hey readers and (hopefully :D) fans!  
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**Normally, I'm a firm believer in only working on one story at a time, but certain elements of life *eyes laptop meaningfully* often force me to switch ideas. This particular post Final Fantasy XIII-2 fic has been in the works since mid-May, ever since I played the DLC, and since it was half started on my desktop while my laptop went out of commission for the umpteenth time this week, I decided to finish it off.  
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**That being said, it _is_ post XIII-2, which means that everything that's happened, I've taken into account for, including the DLC, and I pick up right after it. Of course, this is my own interpretation of events that I wish could've happened, but you know, I'm waiting for Square to give us that happy ending... eventually. I'm saying this flat out right now - this is a HopexLight fic. I'm sorry, this is gonna be - I have a weakness for those two that never seems to abate no matter how many fics I write about them and no matter how much crap I put them through. *squirms*  
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**That also being said, I don't plan on starting into this fic until my 'current' fic, _Revenant Wings_, gets finished in its entirety, but since this chapter was done while I was waiting for my latop to be repaired, I figured I might as well post it, so I do hope you enjoy (and if you like my style, then by all means check out my other stuff? :3)  
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**Read and review please - let me know if this piques your interest enough for me to continue?  
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* * *

Chapter One: Transcendent Wings

_The Dying World—XXX AF_

Movement.

A sensation she was unused to—and one she wholly didn't expect. But she _was_ being moved; carried, in fact… somewhere. But that wasn't right; because she wasn't supposed to be aware of anything anymore… she wasn't supposed to be awake; that much, she knew. But there was no escape from the reality pressed so close down against her—she _was_ somehow aware of what was going on and there was no changing that now.

Eyes cracking open to unnatural, harsh light, the rocking motion didn't stop. Squinting in the brightness, trying to clear her head, the relative silence that had surrounded her up until now exploded into pandemonium as soon as she twitched to one side. "She's awake!" The restrictions around her arms and torso slithering away instantly, Lightning found herself on a hard, cold surface, staring up at the white of a surgical lamp glaring down directly into her eyes. The lurching motion had stopped; whoever had been pushing her had either simply paused… or run away. She didn't think much of the latter, but the soldier senses trained into her from so long ago were sent into overdrive the moment she pulled herself into a sitting position; feeling the rough grate of silver armour against her arms and legs, the telltale click of guns trained on her forehead were nothing new to her—memories buried in the past, perhaps, but ones that were never too far away.

There was no time to be thinking about how she had ended up the way she had—why the _hell_ was she—or her crystal—in the grips of what looked to her like a military base? _Why the hell are there people… here? _She wasn't supposed to be waking up at all… and this didn't look like the future that she'd been foolishly clinging onto in her dreams. Easily summoning her weapon, she knocked aside the two watchdrones that had held her captive on the gurney, ducking under the first two shots that were aimed for her head. _Great. _

But there _were_ soldiers—though they looked nothing like the soldiers in her memories; clad in a drab grey that fooled no one in its simplicity, the only thing that was deadly about them were their weapons. No helmets protected their heads, and the only secondary weapon any of them possessed was a sharp knife stuck down one of their belts… nothing that would present a real threat to her.

But she wasn't up to par either—limbs that felt phantom and incomplete hampered her, as though the sensation of movement was something foreign that she'd never experienced, Lightning found that her motions weren't as fluid as she expected them to be. _But last time… I didn't feel any different, so why should—_

The rough slam of the barrel of a weapon into her shoulder pushed those thoughts out of mind; twisting the weapon easily in the man's grasp, her own gunblade caught his dominant arm before he could retaliate. Electricity crackled through the still, dry air; fueled by the anger and confusion she was feeling, the magic at least felt _right_ in her left palm… even if it wasn't nearly as potent as she would've wanted it to be.

The way ahead of her was now clear—steel grey hallways lined with a mundane similarity, she had no choice but to run down it and find some way of knowing where she was and what was going on. As soon as Lightning stepped over the threshold into the next hallway, the blaring sound of the alarm grated into her ears—someone had pulled it. _"Subject E57 has escaped—all units on alert. I repeat, Subject E57 has escaped. Recapture of the subject is top priority."_

"_Subject E57", huh? I'm not some damn lab experiment! _The anger of that thought fueled her movements as Lightning pushed herself into a sprint, trying to discern where, exactly she was.

Running down the hallway, a thought crossed her mind—she stood out too much. If she wanted to avoid capture, then getting rid of the armour that she still wore would be top priority; she was painting a bulleye on her back and the only way to get rid of it would be to shed what she still wore.

Blasting aside doors with magic felt good—good in a way that she hadn't been able to release like that in a very long time. The sound of shouts in the distance was growing louder… she needed to find some sort of cover soon; while Lightning had no qualms with getting rid of the people who were after her for no apparent reason, she needed _one_ of them to tell her what was going on.

The last door in her hallway caved under the potency of the thundaga; peering inside, she spotted the grey uniforms that the soldiers who'd been transporting her wore, stacked in neat piles underneath a cracked window that let in little light. Quickly stepping over the threshold of the doorframe, she allowed herself a small breath of relief—at least _something_ was going right for her. _But knowing my luck, I'll be running for the rest of my life. _

There wasn't any time to be picky, but for some reason she couldn't grasp just yet, getting rid of the armour that she'd been given felt liberating… because the sight of it dredged up the memories she hadn't allowed herself to recall just yet. _Serah. _And even in this moment, in which there were so many people clearly after her and when she was so clearly in danger, it sent a stab of pain through her chest… but there was nothing she could do about it now; nothing she did now and nothing she did to change her present would bring her sister back; nothing she could hope to do would change the timeline that had been chosen the moment the doors to Valhalla had closed… the timeline that had ultimately resulted in her sister's death. _It's my fault. _She couldn't forget the words of the Seeress, nor could she forget the utter _triumph_ in Caius's words… _But I have to try. I promised that I would try to keep the future both of us wanted safe. _

Leaving the silver on the ground, Lightning caught sight of herself in a cracked window—dressed in the military garb that she'd seen the soldiers after her wear… she looked more like herself. Raking her hands through tangled pink locks curled over her shoulder, she cast one last glance at the armour that the goddess had given her as she slipped through the door.

Without it, she looked like the person she had been before everything that she'd done had stacked up on her shoulders like some overbearing weight that might've weighed the world—it wasn't a title she thought she'd done justice and being rid of it all instilled a sense of numbed relief… for the time being. _Just Lightning. Not Etro's champion. _That fact made her feel slightly more reassured, but it didn't help the sound of the alarm that grew loud again as soon as she left the confines of the supply room.

Picking paths at random, with nothing familiar in sight, her footsteps were less conspicuous now that her feet were clad in military boots, familiar in the sense that they'd allow her to move much more silently than the ones they'd replaced. The weapon in her hands made her feel less disorientated as to what was going on, and more in control of what was happening… it made her feel like she had a grip on her own reality, even though she had none. Sadistically, Lightning wondered if this was part of her dreams—a cruel reality in which she had no control of, but there wasn't something like that. This was very much real… and she had to find out what had happened.

It didn't make sense. Chaos had been unleashed in the world of the living—she'd _seen_ that future. But in that future, the hallway she was sprinting down didn't exist… because there was no time left. _So what happened? What changed? _

Bullets barely missed her ear as she skidded to a stop in what looked like a central conflux, the sound of her footsteps suddenly agonizingly loud as the tip of her weapon scraped against the rock surface. "So you made it here."

Her first instinct was to bolt—before _all_ of the words that had just been said were processed again in her murky mind. "What?" The question had left her lips before Lightning could slap herself mentally for being caught off guard; something sharp had made its way into her thigh and by the time she'd recovered enough to wrench it out, the dart in her hands already felt ominously light.

Instantly dizzy, she found herself on her knees, cursing at her stupidity for being caught so easily by one single question. Footsteps approached her, but she wasn't willing to give in to the potency of the drug just yet. "Who are you?" She couldn't even get enough of a hold on her mental capabilities to summon the magic at her fingertips.

"People who want to survive." Yanked forwards by a strong hand, Lightning found herself looking down into a vast expanse of black that shimmered with water. "Don't you see? This is all the water that's left in this world to survive on. Acid's ruined the rainfall and the streams—this is your fault!" Thrown backwards, she caught herself before she landed on her elbows, staring up at the face of someone she didn't recognized, flanked by three guards.

_I don't—_

He brought his face down to hers. "You were found on the throne of the goddess. You were the one that destroyed her, weren't you? That's why—"

Understanding cleaved through the cotton balls in her brain like a blade. "That's not—" Before the words could fully come from the back of her throat, sudden pain seized her chest. _That's… not true. But I… _Even now, with her mind still dulled from whatever that had been contained in the dart she'd pulled out, it sent a stab of pain through her, rooting her to the spot. _Serah… _

Lightning forced herself to snap out of it before that pain could consume her—it didn't matter if she felt like a wasteland inside, what mattered now was that she got things straight. "I didn't kill the goddess," she growled out between gritted teeth; finding, to her surprise, that her head was clearing.

"Don't lie!" the man snapped back at her. "You were _found_ on the goddess's throne—"

Pushing herself into a standing position, ignoring the limbs that felt like jelly and the dizziness that still clung to the edges of her consciousness, Lightning swung her weapon at him before he could say more. "I _didn't_ kill the goddess!" Ducking under the guns trained to her forehead, the thunder spell left her fingers before she could control it, cracking across the surface of the water beneath them.

Still lightheaded from the aftereffects of whatever they'd shot at her, Lightning stumbled into the hallway that she'd come from, more determined than ever to find a way out. Now that she knew why they were after her, she wanted to screech her indignation at their assumptions at the next wall. _I spend my entire existence in Valhalla fighting against the one person who _did_ want to destroy the goddess and now—_

The sound of the alarm behind her reminded her that she couldn't waste time feeling angry over something that no longer mattered. She had no idea how long they'd had her… or her crystal; nothing she said now would be able to make them change.

But that same anger fueled her actions like they had before, so when several grunts charged at her when she rounded the corner to a new hallway, there was no hesitation. _Fun. I spend my entire existence before Valhalla running and I'm doing the same thing now. _She almost wanted to laugh at the irony of it all—'saving' the world only to wake up being accused of the very thing she'd sacrificed almost everything she had to protect.

_Serah. _The only thing she had left now was her own life… and the promise that she'd made. There would be a time to grieve properly later, and there would be a time for her to think back on the things she could've done and said while she'd had the chance, but now wasn't it. _I have to get out of here. _

Lightning would've preferred to snag a couple of grunts and forced her gunblade at their throats to make them show her the exit, but she had a nasty feeling things didn't work that way for her around here. _From the looks I'm getting… I must be some sort of monster. Right. _Still, running straight into things without thinking about the consequences wasn't her style—that was Snow's. _Snow. _

The thought alone was enough to send icy claws clutching at her chest, but she shoved it away angrily, refusing to give into it. _Not now, not now. _Gritting her teeth as though it would help her think straight, she almost missed the moment that she forced her way through a window, landing with surprising ease on the ashen sands below.

Pinpricks instantly stung at her exposed skin as she dispelled the weapon in her right hand; glancing up, the grey skies seemed no more forlorn than the marbled clouds of Valhalla… except the rain hurt. Staring at her palm for a moment, the words spoken next to the well of water came ringing back to her. _"Acid's ruined the rainfall and the streams." _

_I get it. _She could understand—now—the anger that had been behind the tone, as Lightning looked across the landscape; buildings and crumbling ruins melted into the bone-white sands of her surroundings; the stone and metal being worn down by the acidity that the rain contained. Giving her head a shake, her footsteps barely left any mark on the dead sands that held no life underneath her as she ran—she had no direction; the only thing in her mind right now was to get away… as far away from pursuit as possible so that she could think. Lightning wanted to snort at the bitter irony of the events that seemed hell-bent on stringing her along.

_Running away. Again._

* * *

_Academia—5XX AF_

Shreds of turbulent chaos tugged at his sleeves as Hope struggled to keep his balance and his hold on Mog at the same time. The little moogle was silent now, limp in his arms as though it was a rag doll, fashioned in the likes of stories that had been told to kids that Hope was still sure the little creature was based off of. But what _wasn't_ a fairytale was the explosion of darkness and shadows that came from what looked to him within Bhunivelze—what had gone wrong? _Isn't the timeline supposed to be fixed?_

He hadn't understood Noel's cry of anguish before the young man had collapsed to his knees… until the words had slipped from his mouth. _"I… killed the goddess?" _That wasn't possible—was it? But Hope no longer knew what was real and what were lies.

What he did know was that they could no longer stand here and wait for the chaos to consume them. "Let's go." His voice sounded hoarse and indistinct over the sound of the wind; barely audible, he wasn't even sure that Noel had heard.

Noel looked up from Serah's body. "Where?" he croaked; doubt and anguish consumed the voice that had been so confident before they'd leapt from the airship into the void that led to Valhalla—he looked utterly defeated, something that Hope had never seen from the young man from their future.

"I don't know. Somewhere—anywhere. Anything's better than staying here and waiting for the chaos to get us all." The word 'chaos' seemed to strike something in Noel's mind, as he slowly climbed to his feet. He took a breath in before nodding, silently beckoning Hope to take the lead.

Hope had been about to make his way back to the entrance to the interior of the airship when the moogle in his hands began to dissolve, wasting away into the blackness like the shred of chaos were doing everything else. "What the—"

"_Serah!_" Whipping around, he watched with faint horror as the chaos began eating away like acid at Serah's body too; Noel was clinging to her hand, as though the motion would stop the intent of the power that had been contained in Valhalla for so long, now raging unbridled through the Gran Pulse landscape.

But just like nothing could turn back the time that had already gone by, there was nothing either of them could do; nothing would change the outcome of the timeline that had been decided. _Just like I couldn't do anything when Mom died… and just like how I couldn't do anything when Lightning was taken away from us. _

Lightning.

The only other hope any of them had had left, he wasn't even sure anymore where she would be. Was she still somewhere out there, or was she… Hope refused to entertain the thought of the second. She _had_ to be alive somewhere—the person who'd taught him how to live, _what_ to fight for… she had to be fighting out there somewhere still. _I have to believe it. _

As though summoned by those thoughts alone, pressure and gravity opened up beneath the airship they were standing on; a vortex he'd seen only a handful of times. "A gate." Noel's whisper of astonishment came from somewhere to his left. "But how's that possible? I thought we fixed—"

The shriek of the wind drowned out the rest of his words as Hope fought to cling to the edge of the aircraft. _Why's it here? Why—_ That was when the entire hovercraft lurched painfully, tipping them to one side as the drawing power of the gate began to pull back along with the rising tide of chaos. Hope could feel his fingers slipping; struggling to hold on, his hands finally slipped from the railing of the airship just as Noel let out a strangled yell.

They didn't have an artefact… but they didn't need one. The ribbons of time and space that dawned from the centre of the gate flung out on their own, drawing them forwards into the Historia Crux just as Hope caught one glance of a fortress appearing where Bhunivelze had been only heartbeats before.

* * *

_The Dying World—XXX AF_

The ashensands beneath her feet seemed unending. Stretched out before her in a plain stained red by the setting sun, Lightning didn't see an end to it. The crumbling buildings of the settlement she'd left behind seemed worlds apart from the vast emptiness stretched before her—even the mountains were being worn away by the acidity of the precipitation that had been falling in sporadic intervals since she'd left. The rain left angry red marks on her skin where they'd touched, and the skin on her cheeks felt tender—the droplets had been blown against her face as she'd walked.

_But there's nothing out here. No sign of anyone else. _

Refusing to give in to the tiredness of limbs that weren't quite as agile as she would've liked them to be, Lightning leaned her head against one of the few rocks that still stood in the area, not noticing where she was until the stone arrangement in front of her caught and held her attention. _Wait a moment… _

Exhaustion forgotten, she touched the stone of the oracle drive with the tips of her fingers. _Isn't this… _She'd seen the young seeress use this particular device in the visions provided from Valhalla. _But where's she now? If it's here, she has to have lived here in this timeline, right? _

"What you're seeking is not here." The soft, carefully emotionless voice came from behind her. Whipping around, Lightning stared at the hazy silhouette of the girl approaching her—much, much more than a vision created out of her memories, the steely grey of her hair had faint edges around it… but less than truly flesh. But this wasn't the Yeul she'd met in Valhalla. _This is… _

The girl stretched her fingers towards her as though beckoning her to take them. "You're the one the other seeress meant. You're meant to create the future we both saw. But chaos has been unleashed in this world—the timelines have become one."

"I don't—What?" Though she understood the words, she couldn't understand the meaning behind it. _What's she… talking about? _

"The Historia Crux is now a gateway between the combined timelines. You don't need anything to travel between them." Pitching forwards onto her knees, Lightning caught the girl before she hit the ground; fingernails gripping her arms as though she was the only thing she had left to cling to, Lightning tried to hold the girl above the ground. Soft fingers, gentle as feathers from a bird's wings, brushed her cheek—sudden pain slammed into her chest when that simple gesture brought up a memory from the depths of everything that she'd tried to stow away. "Please…" came the soft plea. "Create that future."

Lightning remained in that position, kneeling on the ground, holding the lifeless body, more unsure than ever as to what she was supposed to do now. _I… But I—_

"You're not supposed to be here." The low, gravelly voice was one she'd have recognized anywhere, as she stood up and turned in one movement, summoning her weapon without thinking about it. Clenching her fingers tight around her weapon, she turned to face the one person that had been her enemy—the one person that had brought about everything that'd happened. _You—_

But the Caius Ballad standing before her was no more the Caius Ballad she knew than the Yeul that had been here had been human. "You're not supposed to be here," he intoned quietly, raising the weapon from behind his back.

"Do I need your permission to be somewhere now?" she snapped, raising her own weapon to shoulder height.

"This world belongs to me. Yeul and I alone. Not you." Taking a step towards her, Lightning noticed with increasing dread that the heart that had beat in his chest was gone. _So he's the Caius from—_ Wings of black spread from his back, but there was no Bahamut for him to call upon now—these wings were formed by chaos and chaos alone. Launching himself at her, she dodged his first attempt to swipe the weapon at her head; shoulder rolling to the side, Lightning was ready to meet his weapon with her own… only to find that he was stronger than her. _Shit!_

Being steadily pushed back by the pressure he was placing on his weapon wasn't something that sat well with her. _If I'm going to win this, it won't be by brute strength. _Thinking fast, she removed the pressure from her weapon, allowing him to stab forward; sword impaling into the rock just behind her, she took the opportunity presented to her to slash for his head, throwing the spell over her shoulder as she backed away.

But the spell seemed to hardly faze him—he brushed it off as though it was nothing more than a small spark that couldn't touch him. With growing dread, Lightning realized it was because he was being fueled by more than just his own strength. _There's something else there, but what—_

In the second that she'd taken to consider that possibility, she'd stayed still a second too long. The dull edge of Ragnarok slammed into her chest; not deep enough to cut, but strong enough to throw her against the stone of the rocks that lay just behind the oracle drive, eliciting a hoarse cry from her lips that she couldn't control.

Struggling to stand, she found him smirking at her. Waving a hand into the air, for a moment, Lightning thought that he would summon the dragon that would take his form… but that didn't happen. Instead, she could feel the power of something behind her drawing her in; flicking her gaze back to see what it was, blue eyes widened when she realized she was looking at a gate. "What the _hell_—"

"Get out." The two simple, short words were accented by a blow not meant to kill, but to send her straight into the waiting embrace of darkness that was offered by the gate.

_Where… _


	2. The Protected

**Hey guys, and thanks for tuning into the next chapter of _Trembling_ _World_****!**

**So Chapter Two has been a little long in forthcoming, and I honestly worked hard to make it possible to get it up this weekend. I know I'm going to be busy next week, and the weeks after that are going to be the much-dreaded finals week of university, so, well... That being said, I'm happy I could finish this beforehand so I won't leave you guys hanging for so long. ^^;;  
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**Much thanks to YuffentineRippalLightHope, sootyxsnowpetal, TheEndofTag, Crowley, Saccharo, Zapper90, LawMan, Lightarcana, MasterofGames, That One Reviewee, GKMader, and Mylaervain! You guys are awesome (and I'll start replying to reviews individually once this fic gets going) and thanks so much for all the support! It's been awhile since I've worked on this one (but I'm super excited to actually get started) so I hope I don't disappoint anyone.  
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**That being said, the majority of this chapter is informative (well, it's meant to be, at any rate) ___—_ so if you get bored sometime down the line, I'm sorry. I tried to throw in as much of the immediate plot as possible as well as important plot points, so, so... hopefully not. *droops*  
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**Leave a review if you're so inclined (as always, concrit, suggestions, speculation, where-I-made-stupid-typos, and what have you are _always _welcome) and love will be put to great use in chapter three, I swear.**

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Chapter Two: The Protected

_Nelde, The Malkaen Forest—51X AF  
_

The disorientation offered by her nearly-incoherent trip through what was once the Historia Crux was in no way easy to dispel, as Lightning struggled to get to her feet. Cold, slimy mud squelched under pressure every time she shifted her weight, and it was a few moments before she was able to push herself onto one knee, supported by the weapon she'd staked into the boggy ground. The same sludge clung to her clothes and hair; the clammy, gelatinous substance icy under her trembling, numb fingers as she finally pushed herself to her feet.

_Where the hell... am I? _She didn't remember choosing a location while falling weightless down the remnants crossroads of the timeline_—_if it could even be called that anymore_—_and Lightning distinctly remembered, sometime in between fighting the countless incarnations of Caius, that she was _supposed_ to. _Unless I wanted to be drifting aimlessly through the back alleys of time. But I didn't choose... so why did I end up _here_? _This wasn't a place she recognized_; _trees seemed to cling together, refusing to let the faint moonlight pierce their topmost branches; the boggy ground underfoot threatened to trap every other step in its grip.

Trawling through her memories, Lightning tried to place why she would've chosen this particular place as an escape.

Not able to come up with one, she gave her head a shake, pushing back bangs clinging to her forehead. Tightening her grip on the weapon at her side, squelching through the mud wasn't by any stretch of the imagination appealing, but if she was going to get _somewhere_, she had to get moving soon. Flecks of cold mud kept splashing upwards to land on her clothes, and although the stolen uniform she was still wearing wasn't by any chance going to get her very far, they were still the only things she owned on her person apart from the gunblade at her side. Mutinously grateful that she could still summon and dispel the thing at will, Lightning felt like it was the only thing she could count on at the moment. _At least I know that I won't be some defenceless grunt, though if I don't figure out where the hell this is sometime soon, I will be. _

Still unnerved that she couldn't place her current location in the context of the timelines she'd observed from Valhalla, her progress forward was slow. With no sense of accurate direction, she was truly in the dark. Taking a deep breath, she thought back to the training that felt like it must've been a million years ago. _Deep breath. In, out. So you're in some unfamiliar location, Farron__—_first things first. Focussing on her breathing, keeping it even and steady though she pushed her body to the familiar brisk walk_; _not quite a run, but enough to keep her mind occupied on where she was going and off other things it wanted to wander off to.

_Serah..._

_No._ She pushed away thoughts of her sister before they could really fully cross her consciousness; those memories weren't ones she knew would be a good idea to think about just now and even though she'd shoved it away before her brain could fully process the full implications brought on by just that one two-syllable name, the familiar stab of pain rushed in to fill the emptiness that it'd left behind. _Stop. You can't let it take over__—_pain _will only cripple you if you let it, don't give in__—_

Lightning was cut off from her self-mantra by the sound of a disturbance.

In hindsight, it wasn't so much of a disturbance as it was an overreaction; the young Yakshini was dropped dead from its perch high up on a tree by the shot she'd fired out almost immediately at the sound of something heavier than the usual sort of harmless night crawlers on leaves. Striding up to it, glad that the detour took her out of the range of the slimy mud, even if it was only for a few minutes, she stared down at the feathered, purple-and-red monster. Hooked talons limp and lifeless on dead, decaying leaves, its feathers were draped awkwardly over the rotting log. _Wonder if it's edible. _It _looked _edible_—_and Lightning was all too aware of the limitations that would be placed on her without food. Briefly considering the notion of dragging the carcass of the demon bird along with her, she decided that it wasn't worth it: though the concept of _food _would've been nice, it couldn't be all that hard to shoot another one in a _forest _and the bird would only be a deadweight, even carrying it with only one hand.

Deciding to leave it behind, Lightning migrated back to the damp riverside that she could now make out in the thinnest filaments of moonlight that poked though thick leaves. Trekking upriver seemed to be a good choice for the time being_—_it seemed her only chance at finding _some _sort of presence, human or otherwise, and sticking close to water was a piece of advice from her days at the academy she wasn't likely to forget.

_Let's just hope that I picked the right direction to begin with._

* * *

Leaving the Yakshini behind was a decision she was beginning to regret.

Two days of following the muggy, slow stream up towards its source had turned up nothing in terms of what she actually wanted to find, and she would've been lying to herself if she said that the lack of food wasn't getting to her. Brushing damp, sticky strands of hair out of her face, the sound of rushing water that was louder than the bubbling, slowly moving trail of murky liquid got her attention. Peering through the branches of the grey trees just up ahead, Lightning spotted the telltale sign of a small waterfall, the greyish liquid that cascaded from the rocks looking less than drinkable.

It seemed that the further she travelled upstream, the less edible things seemed to become.

The river water was muggy, teeming with some sort of grey, foam-like substance that tainted its clarity. Even if her soldier training wasn't enough to tell her not to go near it, common sense would've told her the liquid wasn't something she would've wanted to put down her throat. It wasn't just the water, either; silence seemed to consume the dark trees and she could've sworn that even the trunks and branches that made up those trees were beginning to take on that same greyish hue.

_What's going on here? _

It was a question that took her mind off things_—_and the edge off her hunger. Lightning wasn't quite sure what she had been expecting; being thrown into the Historia Crux wasn't something that she anticipated and she honestly couldn't think of what she _would've _expected upon arrival. _Not _this_, but... _The lack of human inhabitants so far was unnerving her, and she wasn't even sure anymore what timeframe the timeline had brought her to; the only thing she could be sure of was that this was a future that'd been changed by the unleashing of chaos into the living world_—__that _was something that couldn't be easily undone. _Easily undone? _She wanted to laugh at the cruelty of that one simple thought. _Is it even still _possible_? _

That was another question that had kept her mind off of things in her trek upriver. Focussing on the seeress's last words, and the concepts that she'd come to learn from her perch at the edge of time, she'd tried to think through what _would've_ happened after the chaos. _The world's being destroyed. _That much was obvious_—_if the brief time she'd spent trying to escape the clutches of the last remnants of humanity was any indication, then things couldn't be much better off here, even if it was a time before the acid rain had started.

_That's assuming that this _is _a different time. _

It was another possibility she'd considered_—_that this wasn't a different time at all. She couldn't forget the girl's last words, that the Historia Crux was a _'passageway between different _realities_'; _if that were the case, she could simply have been taken to a different place in the same timeline. It was possible, she mused, chewing on her bottom lip as Lightning scaled the small, rocky cliff to haul herself over the top, and it was a possibility she would do well not to forget.

All this thinking, at any rate, was keeping her mind off the real storm threatening to brew at the back of it. She still hadn't let herself grieve_—_whether it was because it was a coping mechanism she'd never really let go of on their journey that felt like it'd happened centuries ago, or whether it was because she was _trying _to stop it from taking over, Lightning didn't know. What she _did _know was that she'd been keeping it at bay; the soldier instincts had kicked in and told her, just like before, that it wasn't going to help her survive_, _and right now, having a _goal _was something she could understand.

Especially if that goal was to keep herself alive, figure out what was happening, and not have a mental breakdown in the process.

But experience told her that those emotions would find some way to catch up with her eventually_—_she couldn't outrun them and sooner or later the guilt and pain would eventually rear their ugly heads. Remembering the way the sight of the survival knife glinting under crystalline leaves in the Gapra Whitewood had brought on the painful, nothing-but-regret realization, her fingers clenched into a fist for a moment, remembering.

_I will _not_ let that happen again. _

And _that_, at the very least, was something she could think straight through without some extreme emotion hindering it. It wasn't something _happy_; it wasn't something the thorn pierced at the very back of her heart could guilt her into _not_ thinking about because it was a _purpose_ and even the soldier inside her could understand that. A purpose was something she could act upon; having a goal was something she could understand.

Pulling her foot free of the thorny vines that grew against the top of the small incline, the tree line had considerably thinned out on this side; she could see through the spaces left between the trunks and Lightning hadn't taken a few steps forward when the acrid tang of smoke hit the back of her nose. Instinct kicked in almost immediately_—_pressing her footfalls down carefully, trying to make as little sound on the fallen leaves as possible, she moved towards the gap in between the skeletal trees, fingers tense in case she needed to summon her weapon.

Pressing her back against the rough bark, she cursed her positioning; the trunk she'd picked, while large, had no undergrowth to speak of in its immediate vicinity_—_it would be beyond easy for some sentry who was doing their job right to spot her trying to scout and getting ambushed and jumped on wasn't high on her list of priorities.

But when Lightning finally peered around the side of the greyish trunk, no sort of projectile was immediately flung at her head; that in itself slightly bolstering her confidence that there was nobody around that could face her in a fair one-on-one duel, she crept forward, keeping herself on her toes. Wariness took over her limbs, but the only sounds around her were her own footsteps and the gurgling of the stream nearby.

Hinges creaked on the slow wind; burnt to attenuated foundations, the settlement around her was as grey as the sickly colour of the trees surrounding it. _Wh-What happened here? _The question slowly made its way through her mind as Lightning numbly made her way forwards; as hardened as the military and the subsequent chaos that'd consumed her life afterwards had hardened her, the sight before her would've made anyone feel sick. Nausea tugged at the very depths of her stomach as something cracked underneath her foot; looking down, she tried to ignore the flash of bone white that caught the corner of her eye before she forced herself to look up again.

_Is this what__—_

She hadn't quite finished the thought before something sharp sliced her cheek; warmth slid down her skin immediately as she whipped around, pinpointing the location of her attacker immediately. Her body shifting to a defensive posture automatically, the weight of the weapon that had materialized in one hand comforting as Lightning leapt forward, glad that if anything, the two day trek had eased out the stiffness in her limbs that had come from staying still for too long. Knocking away the second dagger that the man pulled out easily, she didn't miss the furious expression in his gaze. "Why are you back?" he spat at her, the force in his elbow surprisingly strong as he tried to force her back. "Haven't you killed enough people?"

_What? _

Surprise must've shown on her face for a few heartbeats, because the man backed off, doubt flickering in his expression for a moment before the _thump _of footsteps behind her alerted her to the presence of someone else. _More of you? _It wasn't that she was scared that this was a battle she couldn't win_—_the words had caught her attention. _What do they mean__—_I'm back? Lightning tightened her grip on her weapon. _Well, only one way to find out. _

Meeting the blade of the pickaxe swung at her weapon with the edge of the gunblade, she met its force equally, finding, to her relief, that at least _this _strength she was able to hold. Ducking to one side, allowing the heavy pole to sink into the ground, she took the moment of opportunity to disarm its owner, holding back the blast of magic that her left hand itched to unleash. _Probably won't be the best way to get answers around here. That'll just convince them I'm more dangerous than I already apparently am._

Throwing the weapon aside, she shoved the tip of her gunblade against the hollow of the man's throat, curling her fingers around its handle to hold it steady. "Talk," she ordered, trying to keep her voice reined in. "What do you mean, I'm back?"

The man looked at her weapon as if he would've liked to clamp his hands around its blade and carefully ease it away from him. Clearly deciding that that wouldn't have been a smart decision, with a nervous glance at his equally helpless companion, he met her gaze fearfully. _Smart choice._ Stammering, he tried to squirm away from her glare. "I-I, I mean, _we_, thought you were_—_" The flash of metal caught the corner of her eye; prepared to spring for it, Lightning had only tensed her muscles, rethinking her decision not to use her magic when a different voice intervened.

"Stop. Drop your weapons." Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the first of her two attackers slowly drop the dagger he'd managed to retrieve. Flicking her gaze upwards, she caught the sight of what had to be the settlement's leader; metal links adorned his neck and the cane he used to prop himself upright was nothing short of what she could discern as expensive. Supported by a redheaded girl who looked like she would've liked nothing better than to stick the knife belted to her side into her, Lightning eyed them warily.

_Sure, she looks like she wants to kill me, but can I _save _this situation instead of getting myself into a three-on-one? _

Lowering her weapon, she met the gaze of the old man equally, finding no anger, accusation, or even _surprise_ in his gaze. "Katarina," he murmured to the woman at his side. "She's not _her—_you can go tell the rest of the village it's safe now." The woman took those words with a nod; shooting one last hostile glance in Lightning's direction, she disappeared beyond the row of ruined huts.

Turning back to her, the village elder looked her over critically, gaze flicking over the thin cut that must've been left from the first knife thrown in her direction. "No, you're not her," he mumbled; whether that was directed at her or just something he wanted to reaffirm to himself, Lightning didn't know. Not loosening her grip on her weapon, she held her ground as the elder hobbled towards her on his cane, awkward now that the woman wasn't there to support him. "My apologies, for our sentries mistaking you as the enemy." He raked his gaze over her face again, as though searching for something. "But you _do _look very similar; same hair and eye colour, though now that I think about it, she _did _look younger_—_not quite the intensity that you've got."

_Same__—wait, _what? "Wait," she rasped quietly. Her voice constricted abruptly; the syllables caught at the back of her suddenly closed throat. "What do you mean, we look similar?"

The old man eyed her as if he didn't think she understood a word of his near monologue. "You mean, you _don't _know about the woman terrorizing what's remaining of Pulse. What place are _you _from?" Suspicion clouded his gaze for a moment as Lightning bit the back of her tongue. _Somehow, I don't think he'll believe me if I tell him the truth. Better just play it dumb__—_and hope to the Maker that he doesn't suspect me of anything. 

_"_I-I___—_" _Think, Farron! _"I just haven't heard about it before," she stammered, hoping that it wouldn't give reason to the elder to be more suspicious of her than he already appeared to be.

Thankfully, he seemed to be content with her hasty explanation, the wariness in his expression fading as he inched forward to get a closer look at her. "Then you should be thankful you haven't___—_mighty lucky, you are." Leaning heavily on his cane, he motioned for his two guards to join him as the elder made to make his way back through the destruction that seemed all that was left of the outskirts of the village.

"Wait___—_you haven't told me what 'she' looks like." Her curiosity and apprehension had been piqued from the moment that they'd mistaken her for whoever it was that had clearly terrorized this particular village into this form of submission; a million thoughts and possibilities were making their way through her head, aided and abetted by a slew of emotions Lightning wasn't sure if she even wanted to sort out, and if she was going to figure out where she was going to go from here.

The elder threw back an exasperated look at her. "I just _told _you___—_pink hair, tied in a ponytail on one side, blue eyes like yours, carried this ugly white animal with her that turned into her weapon."

It was like someone had hit her in the chest with a physical blow.

* * *

It was dark when Lightning finally stumbled to a resting position against the gnarled trunk of a tree. Exhausted and out of breath, she'd pushed her body to its limits trying to keep her mind from straying too far. The thoughts chased each other around her mind like a whirlwind; trying to sort them through was nothing short of impossible.

Getting the facts straight was easier than trying to deal with the emotions that were associated with them.

_Serah____—_or someone who looked exactly like Serah___—_was here. She's always been here, according to these villagers. She's been attacking people since the 'Great Fall', ten years ago. That makes this ten years after Hope launched his new Cocoon_______—_but that's not here. Is this the alternate reality the seeress was talking about?

Her head felt like it had gone through information overload; sitting back against the tree, she pressed her hands to the sides of her head, trying to soothe the incoming headache already throbbing at her temples and the emotional storm that was sure to follow in some form or another.

_If only I'd been able to stop what happened... ten years ago._

Feeling like a failure more than anything now, she could imagine it, piecing together the garbled story the village elder had tried to tell her after she'd tried to recover from his description of 'her'. And in this particular instance, it had come down to the collapse of Cocoon's crystal pillar. Unable to stop it through the 'terrible storm' that had followed, Hope's new Cocoon had never existed. The villagers hadn't been able to completely tell her the details of how everything had happened at Cocoon's crash site, but Lightning didn't need___—_and didn't want to hear___—_the details.

And after that, things had gone from bad to worse. She already had the feeling that the reason the acid rain had existed was because of something that had happened after Cocoon's destruction and the villagers had only confirmed her suspicions. When she'd asked about the location of Academia, they'd looked at her like she was crazy___—_and it didn't take Lightning long to figure out why. _So in this timeline, Academia must've never existed. If it did, it wouldn't have made it for very long; otherwise they would've at least known what I was talking about. _She didn't want to think about the implications of that consequence just yet_, _but it at least helped her get her bearings on the timeline she'd landed in.

Technology hadn't been available after Cocoon's fall, frozen in its crystal shell; forced to resort to other sources of energy, the pioneers on Pulse had come to rely on coal as their main source of energy: a black rock that gave off pungent fumes when burnt. It wasn't efficient, but there was no other choice___—_mining for the stuff had worked for a few centuries___—_until they'd hit rock bottom. Something___—_though they hadn't quite been clear on _what____—_ had gone wrong with the mining; with the water that they'd relied on polluted by the heavy mining, the acid rain itself had begun already. _And with the way that stuff burned, I can see why it turned the entirety of Pulse into some post-apocalyptic wasteland in a few hundred years. _

_Thank the Maker they didn't suspect me of something else by this point. _

Pointed in the direction of Cocoon's crash by the villagers, it also happened to be the rough direction of the coal mine itself___—_and the direction that the stranger that'd wreaked havoc on the village had gone.

Burying her face in her hands, Lightning tried to keep her breathing even and calm. _Deep breaths. Don't let emotion distract you; it'll take over and you'll be next to useless. _But when she thought about the second half of their conversation, the only coherent question she could formulate in her mind was _why. _She couldn't come up with a reason why___—_if the stranger was indeed Serah___—_she would want to attack the villages left over from Cocoon's crash onto the surface of Pulse. And though she was unwilling to admit it, _that _was what hurt most___—_why would her sister want to destroy everything they'd worked to save?

If Serah was even alive at this point.

Lightning found that she desperately wanted to believe that it _wasn't _Serah; as loathe as it was to admit, even clinging to the thought that her sister was dead was easier to comprehend than _this_. She wanted her mind to shut down___—_thinking would only make things worse and though she'd never been an optimist, she couldn't see a way out of this. Even a goal at this point___—_reaching Cocoon's crash site from ten years ago and investigating the coal mine on her own, if anything to try and fix the future that she'd landed in___—_couldn't create the sense of _purpose _that she wanted; emotions had been allowed to run amok in crystal stasis dreams and she couldn't rein them in any longer.

"I'm pathetic," she mumbled out loud, remembering the last words that had echoed across a clear consciousness before closing her eyes. _You'll keep the future of this world safe. _"Yeah, right." _At this rate, I'll be making sure the _destruction _of this world continues. _

_Serah..._

There was another unpleasant realization that was beginning to make its way into Lightning's mind as she sat there, arms wrapped around her legs and chin buried against her knees. _If Academia never existed, then... _The consequences of that felt astronomical at this point; Hope would've never thought of the new Cocoon and _Hope _was someone she would've been happy to rely on. From what her sister had told her, the kid she'd tried to teach had grown into someone more than just reliable and not at all untalented___—_if he could design and create a new Cocoon, Lightning was fairly sure he could engineer something to change the disasters that had come to be in the timeline that had been chosen as the 'true' timeline.

'Grim' was no longer sufficient enough of an adjective for her current situation, and trying to think about something___—__anything____—_that was still salvageable about the 'future' she'd landed in felt far in forthcoming.

_But... wait____—_the elder mentioned that some people disappeared immediately after Cocoon's crash. She could relate; history had been altered after her own disappearance and Lightning could only hope that the same sort of thing had occurred just after the remnants of the crystal structure had hit the surface of Pulse. _It's the only hope left____—_if _I can try to change what's happened here, maybe the future I woke up in won't exist anymore. _Still unsure of what had opened the gate next to the Oracle Drive, that was something she didn't even want to try to make sense of at the moment. _Could things get any _worse_?_

_Why can't I just fall asleep? _The derisive question made her want to snort out loud in its impossibility; the throbbing in her temples had magnified twofold and she knew further thinking would only aggravate it. Working to try to shut down the thoughts that wanted to run rampant through her mind and wreak havoc on the precarious control she had over her emotions, it was quite awhile later that Lightning finally felt her eyes slipping shut, head bowing forwards to allow her bangs to fall into her eyes. _Tomorrow... I'm going to try and make sense of this. _

_Serah____—_I swear, I won't let you down this time.

* * *

_Caer Pelyn, The Nalbina Stronghold____—_51X AF

Hope was aware of one thing at the moment: he was lying on his stomach, face down against rough cobblestones with a deafening wall of sounds he couldn't yet make sense of at the moment crashing down into his eardrums. Slowly coming to grips with his new reality, he became aware of something digging into his side, a rough shove that was beginning to become hard to ignore. One sound___—_substantially louder than the rest___—_permeated his limited consciousness like a hammer being pounded into the side of his head.

"Hey! You___—_get up!" Prodded to one side, Hope found himself blinking open his eyes to blinding sunshine. He was lying in the middle of a busy street___—_ with Noel nowhere to be found___—_with the jagged blade of some guard's weapon pointed directly at his forehead. Gulping involuntarily, somehow, he knew escape wasn't something that was possible at the moment___—_and judging from the expression on the guard's features, not something that would be wise to even attempt.

_How did I get myself into this?  
_


	3. Feral Frontier

**So hey guys, and thanks for tuning into the next chapter of _Trembling World_!**

**And for once, I can (again) claim that I am early—finals week begins on the 4th of December, so I figured I'd take a break from the nose-burying-in-textbooks and work on this! (And I swear, Hoperai is one of the _best_ remedies for a headache, even though they're technically not together yet. :(**

**Anyways. That being said, love goes to That One Reviewee (welcome back! And yep, some parallel world sounds right. Etro _is _cruel. And yep, 'my' Lightning is somehow present in all this—but then again, Square and I picked the same plot point. xD), Alcestrine (yep, I borrowed the name from FFXII, and I'm glad you're into it! Hopefully I don't disappoint! n_n), LawMan (AWH YEAH. You know it, I know it, we all know it. Seriously, your comments make me laugh every single time and I'm _totes_ ready!), GKmader (awh, thanks hon! Unfortunately, I can't answer all of that just now, but hopefully, things'll be clear soon!), H-thar (we've already discussed this, but y'know, we'll forge onwards and eventually come to the "I finally found you!" moment we're all waiting for. :D *gives pill to revive from anxiety overload*), Zapper90 (thank you so much - I hope not to disappoint and I _hope _I can update as soon as I'm able to. c:), and MasterofGames (yep, that's essentially the gist of my 'timeline' here. Thanks so much for the anticipation and the well wishes!) You guys are _awesome_ and really, all the support just makes me want to get out chapters faster for y'all, so thanks again for the continued support! :3**

**This chapter kind of borders the shorter side of things (again—seriously, if you've read _Revenant Wings _you'll know that one of my chapters was somewhere in the vicinity of 11,000 words D:), and as before, I'm still trying to 'set up' the exact 'mood' of the locations and all, so bear with things (and me) for the time being and I _swear _things'll get interesting soon. Leave some love by the time you're done, pretty please (and as always, please point out any stupid mistakes and such) and let me know what you think! Feedback is always welcomed (and loved) — enjoy as always!**

* * *

Chapter Three: Feral Frontier

_Caer Pelyn, The Nalbina Stronghold__—51X AF_  


Being apprehended the moment he opened his eyes wasn't something that was on his top-ten list of things either.

Struggling against the hand closed tightly in the neck of his shirt, Hope tried vainly to wriggle his way free... except he wouldn't get anywhere fast and the dire threat that came from the guard that slammed the door of the holding cell in his face wasn't a joke. "Don't get too comfy," the man growled. "I'll be back." Slumping against the back wall, the brilliant sunlight streaming through the small, dingy window was of little comfort as he tried to get his bearings on the current situation. _How did____—_When did I ask _to be dumped here?_

The last thing he remembered before a weightless, almost-incoherent trip through what he could only assume was the Historia Crux were the black threads of chaos transforming the surface of Gran Pulse; he had no idea how much time had passed in the time that he'd been gone and the time that he'd reemerged. Hope couldn't even be sure that this was even the same _timeline_ anymore___—__that _was what frightened him. _How would I even... _Sinking down, he dropped both arms over his knees, head buried against his upper arms as he tried to rationalize the situation at hand.

_Okay, so... I _don't_ know where I am_, _clearly, those guards don't know _who _I am, s____o... S_o what am I supposed to do now? He couldn't think of a way out of his current situation unless he wanted to bust down the door or somethingalong those lines; something he was sure he wouldn't be nearly as competent enough to pull off successfully___—_and it would arguably make things _worse._ It wouldn't help him figure out where, exactly, he was and Hope had a feeling _not_ being a wanted fugitive would help his chances enormously.

Trying to piece together what might've happened was impossible; without some form of a reference frame, there wasn't anything that he could do to possibly put together a coherent story if and when the guard would return, no doubt with his superior. _And at that point, am I really going to get off without sounding suspicious? Time travel isn't something someone'd believe on a _good _day____—_they'll probably think I'm _a spy or something and then..._ Hope cut himself off there; the possibilities were endless and each one of them was more unpleasant than the last.

_Great. _

Letting out a frustrated sigh, he looked up between platinum bangs to find a wizened old man in the cell opposite staring intently at him. Giving him a toothless, crooked grin, he pulled out a beaten looking pipe from his pocket. "So, kid. Did ya do somethin' to piss these guards off? Cause they sure don't look happy about ya." The _very _familiar accent was an opportunity that made his heart leap to his throat in recognition; it was like he'd found the needle in the haystack. Common sense stopped him from blurting something out mindlessly, though—aware of the consequences if he said something he wasn't supposed to, Hope bit his tongue, deciding to start out slow.

"I guess," he mumbled, looking down at his gloved hands, trying to contain the burst of excitement that had claimed his breathing and heartbeat at the sound of the man's voice. _That's a_ Pulse_ accent—I can't have strayed too far if I recognize it, right? _Distinctly similar to Fang and Vanille's, it had a slight lilt to it that threw him off a little, but it was similar enough in its inflections that he was fairly sure that he was still somewhere on Pulse. _But now that I think about it... I haven't really____—no one's really used one, not since Cocoon was crystallized. Does that mean..._ The idea that he could've landed in a different time was completely possible; the possibility that _this _was a timeline that had already been warped and altered by the chaos he'd _seen _unleash was also possible. _So... _anything's_ possible, really. _The analytical part of his mind tried to make sense of it all; it was failing at the moment and Hope wasn't sure whether he was inclined for it to continue—after all, it hadn't landed him in a particularly desirable situation. _And at the rate I'm going, overthinking things might make them worse. Deep breaths._

The old man peered at him curiously across the narrow, dimly lit hallway. "Really now. Ya don't _look _like the typical street vagrant. What kinda crime did you commit—you a spy for Edina or somethin'?"

_Edina? _He'd never heard of the place before, but Hope fought to keep that off of his expression as he made an attempt to look and sound as normal as he could've possibly been at the moment, locked up in a holding cell—_and just waiting for one of those guards to come back and interrogate me. _Swallowing thickly, he gripped the fabric of his pants in his palms. "No, I'm not a spy. I'm—" _What am I supposed to say? _He cut himself off before he could make some stupid mistake that very well could cost him the little he had left. "Lost, I guess," he finally answered, nibbling at the bottom of his lip. "Wrong place at the wrong time." _He can't know just how literal that statement is._

But if the old man was surprised at his response, he didn't show it, simply pulling in a puff of smoke from his somehow miraculously-lit pipe, inspecting him critically. It was a long time before he spoke again. "Well, ya certainly don't _look _like an Edina spy—but you sure are dressed funny. Never seen kids dress like this before—you sure you're not an asylum escapee?"

Hope nearly choked on the simple action of swallowing. "N-No," he coughed out. "I'm sure." _Might as well give things a try; I don't think he's that suspicious of me just yet and anything I figure out before that guard comes back is good... right? _Looking directly at the man, he tried to keep his tone even. "So... why would Edina have spies?"

Letting out something between a laugh and a snort, the old man choked on the smoke from his pipe for a few moments; the hacking coughs enough to slightly scare Hope before he settled down again, beady eyes flashing with disbelief. "Ya _sure_ you aren't from some asylum, kid? I mean, what do they teach you kids these days at school? Don't they teach you about history at _all_?" Letting out another derisive snort, he took a couple more puffs of smoke before crossing his legs. "Araphen and Edina are _enemies__—_have been since the first split after the crystallization of Cocoon and will _ever; _that's why all these guards have been recently posted to Caer Pelyn. Things've gotten nasty since the crash—and ya'd know that if ya didn't live under a log." Shooting a very pointed look at him, the old man started mumbling something incoherently to himself as he fiddled with the rags in his shirt before turning to ignore Hope completely.

_Well... can't call that a complete failure. At least I got some useful information out of that... even if he thinks I'm completely crazy now. _

But what Hope couldn't deny was that the information _was_ useful: he was in some region of Pulse named Araphen and the city he was currently in, Caer Pelyn, was presumably located near its border. _And Cocoon... _has _crashed. From what he said, it sounds like it's happened awhile a__go now. He hasn't mentioned a new Cocoon, so that must mean... _He swallowed thickly at the thought, knowing exactly what it implied and the enormity of the situation that he was now in. The realization hit him in the chest like a ton of bricks.

_I'm in some new timeline—the gates are closed, so I can't go back... even if I wanted to, and..._

If some sort of emotion was going to make it through to his exterior, it wasn't given the chance to before the old man suddenly spoke up again. "Least you're not as crazy as those nutters from Nelde. Burnin' that black stuff, making their air taste like dirt. Those tree-huggers never would've left their forests, till their little mines for that stuff ran out. Serves them right too," he muttered bitterly, "takin' energy that everyone could've shared."

Blinking a few times to process the information, Hope wasn't sure he liked what he heard. _Burning... stuff? _It didn't sound economical—nor did it sound like something that wouldn't lead to _some _form of pollution—and his description of Nelde, wherever that was, didn't sound all that appealing either. _But it sounds like... they're slowly running out of energy. Is that why they hate the place? _The quiet mumble—that he wasn't sure whether the old man had meant for him to hear— had given him enough to work with for the time being—and just as well; the old man clamped his mouth shut at the sound of loud footsteps that were making their way down the dim hallway.

It wasn't two minutes later that the guard's face peered through the bars of the holding cell. "You," he growled, "Come with me."

Hope took a deep breath, trying to swallow back a nervous gulp. He could only hope that whatever he'd gathered within the last ten minutes would be enough to hopefully land him a spot _out _of trouble. _Here goes nothing._

* * *

_Nelde, Crystal Remnants—51X AF  
_

Pushing back stray strands of pink hair, Lightning stared out across the dismal landscape. If this was any different than the Academia that had been swallowed by the chaos just before the timelines changed one last time, she wouldn't have known it. Burnt wisps of black wood, aided by the stiff breeze, rippled across the ground that was almost devoid of grass. The sky above was perpetually dark grey, and she'd begun to think that it would never truly be sunny—it had been days of travelling already and the dark clouds persisted stubbornly.

She'd also noticed that the occasional rain that peppered the barren woods already carried with it a hint of the same acidity that had destroyed the landscape back in the timeline she'd been pulled out of.

Cocoon's crystal remnants lay scattered before her; crystal fragments crunched every so often under her feet and the curved shards broke easily under pressure—and as sickening the thoughts were, Lightning couldn't help but wonder for every fragment she accidentally broke, whether that had belonged to Fang or Vanille's crystal. **  
**

There was no possible way that they could've been saved—without Academia and its technology, there _would've_ been no way to reach them through the crystal shell and the very thought sent an icy shiver down her spine. _Every single time... I try to help, and end up losing something else instead. _Lightning found herself clenching her fingers into a fist; hands hidden under the heavy grey cloak the villagers had given her, along with what she deemed as a proper change of clothing, it was hard not to feel intimidated by the bleakness of the landscape that surrounded what had once been Coccon's crystal shell.

The base of the pillar was still intact; the sharp edges from where the crystal structure had broken off in its descent onto the surface of Gran Pulse stuck up oddly, their faint blue contrasting horridly with the grey that seemed all that was left of the immediate area surrounding Cocoon. Walking towards it, Lightning placed one hand on the smooth crystal pillar, finding, to her surprise, that it was warm under her palm. Bowing her head forwards, allowing the hood of the cloak to slip back a little from her hair, she rested her forehead against it for a few heartbeats.

Finding no source of comfort against the crystal, she looked back up at it for a long moment of silence—the base of Cocoon was the only familiar thing that was left of the world she once _thought _she'd known and somehow, leaving it behind would only serve to solidify that fact. _I promised I'd save the future. I have to—for Serah, if not for myself. _

Letting her fingers slip down the column until they were at her side again, Lightning turned her head in the direction that the villagers had told her would lead to the coal mine—a vast, deep, underground structure that would take several days for her to get to. Determined to get to the bottom of things, she'd already made up her mind to go and check it out—and she was also determined to figure out what, exactly, was behind who she could only assume was Serah. _I have to know. No matter what. _It was the only thing that didn't make sense to her in everything she'd learned since landing face down in a bogful of slimy mud: why her sister would want to help destroy everything they'd worked to save.

She could bury the pain underneath what she had to do—that was something that she'd been trained to do. But burying _her _pain wouldn't be enough to figure out why and it was answers that Lightning wanted. _Pain I can deal with. Not_ this.

Shifting her feet slightly, glad that the combat boots she'd been given were at least her size, she picked her way around the weathering crystal fragments, determined to not look back.

_I have something I need to do; no sense in wasting time thinking about memories that'll never come back._

* * *

_Caer Pelyn, The Nalbina Stronghold—51X AF_

Hope tried not to squirm uncomfortably under the scrutinizing gaze of the guard, who seemed adamant in his refusal to believe the claim that he'd been 'lost'. _Well, in retrospect, it probably was a typical thing to say... but could I have told him the truth? _"Look," snarled the man, jabbing a finger at his chest. "I don' buy any of this 'lost' business, ya got it? The civs say you appeared outta nowhere outta a transgate—got an explanation for _that_?"

_A transgate? So they still have those? _

He bit his tongue before the question could slip out. "N-No. I don't—What's a transgate?" _Better play it safe and pretend I don't know what one is._

The guard rolled his eyes at him, and Hope could sense the brewing frustration at the back of the man's head. It wasn't ideal—not in any way—but if he acted like he knew too much, or too little, for that matter, things could get worse at a faster pace than he could attempt to patch them up. "Don't play dumb with me," he growled at him. "Tell me, how are we supposed to know you're not a spy from Edina?"

_Because if I were a spy, I'd make more of an attempt _not _to be caught? _"What makes you think I'm a spy?" Trying to act indignant, he hoped that he would be convincing enough; Hope knew that the moment he made the mistake of letting slip that he _wasn't _from this timeline, or anything even in the general vicinity of the idea, he'd be buying himself a one-way ticket back into a holding cell, and that was certainly _not _where he wanted to end up. _Think! _

The guard played absentmindedly with the small knife sheathed at his side. "Because you appeared in the middle of the _street—_do I look stupid to ya or something? You used _magic_—ordinary civs can't do that."

_I-I did? _For a moment, and certainly if he'd been alone, Hope would've wanted to contemplate the thought. He hadn't been able to use some sort of spell since the brand of the Pulse fal'Cie had been erased from his wrist, but then again... _I didn't really try. I just... sort of assumed I couldn't._ _But thinking back... _Serah and Noel had been able to, hadn't they? It was an idea he wanted to entertain, but the heavy breathing of the guard just in front of him reminded Hope that now was _not _the time to be thinking about it. "I didn't..." he mumbled weakly, hating how much less certain his voice had become in the face of one realization. _I don't think so, at any rate. _

The 'hmph' of the guard was all too clear of an indication that the man didn't believe him and Hope felt himself swallowing thickly. _This does _not _look good. _That thought was only compounded when the man suddenly shoved his bloodshot eyes into his face. He was so close Hope could see the tiny beads of sweat that clung to his forehead under the light of the single, incandescent lightbulb that lit the room. "Listen up, kid," the man growled, "You're not a very good liar, did you know that? Cause ya sure haven't been able to convince me of anythin', and—"

"Bauker. _Enough_—he's with me."

The icy fingers that had reached down his spine had barely released their grip on him when Hope forced his neck to crane around, surprise pushing his heartbeat to an accelerated pace so quickly that he didn't see how the guard only inches from him couldn't have heard it and figured out it wasn't true.

_Who..._

* * *

_Nelde, Akaneia Mines—51X AF_

Faint moonlight had finally poked through the dark, heavy cloak of clouds sometime in the vicinity of midnight. Settled against a rock, the view of the abandoned mine spread below her wasn't appealing in the slightest. Dug so deeply in earth that the entrance to the mine was now a long walk down a twisted, roughly-hewn path, Lightning estimated that it would take her another half day just to reach its proper entrance.

The sharp cut stone transmitted sound so well that every sudden gust of wind threatened to make her jump. _I swear this place is going to give me a heart attack sooner or later. _Every foreign sound sounded like an enemy approach and her soldier senses wouldn't let her relax. True to its nature, it had kept the unwanted emotions at bay, only to set her body on some sort of hyper alertness; sleep seemed far off when her skin crawled at every noise that she didn't recognize.

Trying to get comfortable on the hard, cold ground was another story altogether.

_And at this rate, I'll never sleep. _

But was staying awake so bad? No doubt dreams would come to haunt her in nightmares as they had done for the little she'd allowed herself to sleep in the past few days; even when exhaustion had completely overtaken her limbs, Lightning couldn't escape from the same repetition of images that marched in some messed up, orderly fashion that she couldn't order them to go away from.

Dreaming about fighting Chaos Bahamut, somehow alongside Serah and Noel, she couldn't connect her attacks. And no matter how much strength she tried to put in every blow, the metal dragon just laughed in her face and continued pummeling away at her sister, who was trying to throw magic from the back line. And no matter how much she'd shouted for Serah to run, her sister couldn't seem to hear her and Bahamut had eventually blasted the crystal beneath them into millions of tiny pieces that caught the light of some unseen sun in the dark realm.

The blinding glare of those shards caught in the sudden luminescence would always jolt her into alertness, clammy sweat sticking to her skin and out of breath.

Snorting, irritated—though she didn't know whether it was at herself or incompetency to deal with the whole situation— at the recollection, Lightning shifted a little on her 'warm' spot on the hard rock, digging her shoulder into the chipped stone boulder she was leaning against, forcing her eyes to close. _Sleep_, she commanded herself. _You'll need everything you've still got to figure things out; giving in now is only another way of showing you're weak. _


	4. The Dispossessed

**So hey guys, and thanks for tuning into the next chapter of _Trembling World_!**

**I know it's been awhile since the last chapter *hangs head* and I do sincerely apologize. I've been working on this chapter since my last final ended on the 17th, and I'm pretty happy to be getting it up today! :3 **

**To my reviewers: LawMan (Awh, I'm sorry for making you wait! And you'll get to see the beginning of what's in store for Hopekins in this chapter!), Mylaervain (ahaha, I hope so! I'll try not to disappoint, and you'll see soon enough :D), That One Reviewee (ahahaha, yep. Unfortunately, Snow hasn't made an appearance in my planning just yet, but I have PLENTY of comic relief coming up. :p And I'll remember to add that to my shopping list. xD), GKMader (most of the time I improvise, but occasionally, I tend to borrow from other games. :p Finals, the bane of everyone's existence. Hope yours went well for you hon!), MasterofGames (thanks muchly for the well wishes, I think I did alright on mine. :p You'll see very soon), and Lightarcana (yep, unfortunately he is. :c Hope can't be good at everything). Thank you all, and once again, I'm sorry for making you all wait so long. **

**I know the storyline's been slow for these last few chapters, and I swear I try to pick it up in this one. D: On that note, has anyone seen the new trailer for _Lightning Returns__? _(If you haven't, go check out YouTube, like, _right now_) I think I squealed like the fangirl I am the moment I saw it last night. Tetsuya Nomura-san did an _incredible _job on Light's new outfit, imo, and I'm super excited! :D That being said, let me know if there are, uh, my worst nightmares in this chapter (typos and whatnot) and let me know what you think. I'm _always _up for concrit and love will be put to great use in the next chapter, I swear. Leave a review pretty please, and enjoy as always!**

* * *

Chapter Four: The Dispossessed

_Caer Pelyn, the Nalbina Stronghold__—51X AF_

In the short timespan that was all that was offered to him to adjust to the rapid turn of events, Hope didn't get to turn around, or even fully look at, the identity of his mysterious saviour. Any questions he might've wanted to ask were stopped before they even reached the back of his throat by the quick pace that the two people behind him were forcing him to adopt. Stumbling after the two dark figures, several thousand questions wanted to make themselves heard in the buzzing that seemed all that was left of his cognition, but just like the ones that wanted to make their way out of his throat, they couldn't fully formulate before being squashed by something else.

And for the first time since before Academia—but clearly not in the light of recent events—Hope found himself utterly unable to voice even a single thought; the unfamiliarity and the sudden pace at which things had progressed had rendered him completely speechless and the only thing that was able to coherently surface in his mind as he followed the dark hallway was that he was either ridiculously lucky, or about to find himself in an even deeper hole than the one he'd seemingly escaped.

But if the two people just ahead of him were enemies, he couldn't see it. There weren't weapons in their hands that he could see, and neither of them turned to even bother sparing him a second glance. A tenuous sort of relief was slowly working its way up the back of his spine—could it really be possible that he'd just been _saved_?_ But why—who... _

Sudden moonlight illuminated the hallway that opened up to a small courtyard at the back of the military base, causing Hope to raise a forearm to shield himself from what seemed to him as an overly-bright silver glare. Trying to discreetly rub his eyes with the back of his hand, it was a few moments before he regained enough of his sight to squint at the two figures who had by now fully turned to face him. One was taller; dark grey hair brushed back from his forehead, Hope could already discern from his stance that this man—whoever he was—was a figure of authority. He'd heard it in the brisk tone the man had used to stop the guard and he could see it now.

The woman beside him was shorter, but no less imposing. Deep magenta hair pulled back into a single braid, he could see the weapon she carried now—a gauntlet slipped tightly on her left arm. Armour clad, she was no doubt a soldier; if her weapons hadn't been a sign of indication, it was the stiff way she held herself: a not-so-subtle reminder of another female soldier he knew.

The familiar pang of nostalgia and loss had barely worked its way up into his chest before the man spoke.

Cutting across the formalities, the first question was surprisingly direct. "You're a time-traveler, aren't you?"

* * *

_Nelde, the Akaneia Mines—51X AF_

Dry winds tore repeatedly across the empty stone of the abandoned mine, bringing with it the hint of frost that told her winter could not be far away. The grey skies abovehead hadn't changed a bit, and as Lightning picked her way down the stone path. Clutching the thick grey cloth close around her shoulders, she couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being watched. Invisible eyes seemed to follow her progress, but her continuous glances backwards didn't reveal a thing.

It didn't reassure her in any way—she trusted the instincts that had been trained into her. _But the real question is, why would anyone _want _to watch me? What would I being doing here that would be of any value to anyone? _On the heels of that thought came one that was more disturbing—that someone had already figured out who she was and had made an intent of following her. _And who would _that _be? _Two weeks from the night that she'd woken up in the forest and she'd made an effort to keep a low profile: avoiding the wide roads cut into the forest, she'd kept to the dark treeline, preferring to travel in between the falling dusk and the grey dregs of morning as opposed to broad daylight. It was only when she'd hit true wilderness, having been reassured that no one made any sort of settlement in the area of Cocoon's shell by the villagers. _"And no ones lives near Akaneia anymore," _the elder had informed her. _"The water's too toxic and the air's hard to breathe. Maybe if you wanted to shortline your lifespan." _He'd chuckled to himself before limping away to rest.

_So who would... And _why_? _She was here because the villagers had told her the stranger—_Serah?—_had gone this way; Akaneia was the only thing to the west of Nelde and Lightning didn't think whoever it was was here to track her sister; if so, they were doing almost as poorly of a job as she was. She could only hope she wasn't too far behind whoever the stranger had been, but desperation and the lack of a true purpose drove her forwards. _I have to know. __No matter what. _

_It can hurt, but I have to find out the truth. How I feel beyond that is irrelevant. _

Momentarily consumed by the sheer enormity of those thoughts, she wasn't as careful of her footing as she should've been. Dislodging several pebbles from the path that led downwards, their sharp _clack _that echoed painfully loudly across the canyon of stone walls made her wince. _Way to let everyone know you're here. _Lightning could've sworn the sound was loud enough to alert anyone in a half-kilometre radius and the thought made her more uneasy than she already was. _Might as well be waving a red flag that says 'come and get me!' in all caps. _Pressing her back to the cold rock wall, trying to calm her suddenly pounding heartbeat, she closed her eyes, concentrating on her breathing.

Memories flooded into the darkness immediately—the same way they did whenever she tried to sleep.

Shaking her head, Lightning blinked open her eyes forcefully, the watery grey light provided by the clouds abovehead forcing their way into those images. _Get a grip_, she told herself angrily. Remaining still for a few more heartbeats, silence consumed the landscape around her. The faintest vestiges of those echoes had faded and she couldn't hear anything else. Digging her nails into her palms, trying to disregard the fine tremble that had taken over her fingers, she started down the stone path again.

That same feeling of being watched prickled at the back of her neck the moment she left the safety of the shadows, and Lightning couldn't resist casting another glance over her shoulder, back up the ravine.

Only stone and shadows greeted her, carrying with it the faintest hint of frost—there was no sign of anything living.

_But I know you're there. _Unease and a dark sense of foreboding sent chilling fingers down her back; she had a feeling it wouldn't be long before she found out who, or what, exactly, that was—and what they wanted.

* * *

_Caer Pelyn, the Nalbina Stronghold—51X AF_

Hope was dumbfounded for all of a heartbeat, before several million questions made their precarious way to the back of his throat. "H-How..." The stammer of the first word in something that might've been a coherent sentence was the only thing that made it out from the jumble of syllables that seemed to stick to the roof of his mouth.

The man held up a hand. "I know you have lots of questions. But this isn't safe—I barely saved you from Bauker back there. Wait until we get somewhere safe, alright?" The affirming tone in the man's voice confirmed Hope's suspicions: that this man was used to being in charge. Without waiting for a response, the man turned again, striding forwards in quick, brisk steps.

Stumbling after them again, he barely noticed where they were going as the questions and bewilderment teemed in his mind. _Why... How did they know? Were they watching me? Or—_ Was it possible that they were from the same timeline as him? _Is that how they knew? _The man's voice carried with it the hint of a Pulsian accent, but whether that was only his imagination, or maybe from years of living amongst these people, Hope didn't know. But what he _did _know was that the man—and it was safe to assume that his companion did as well—knew, at the very least, that he wasn't from this particular timeline.

For a brief moment, Hope wondered if they could possibly know who he really was. The thought sparked a flare of hope inside; if they knew who _he _was, then maybe... _Would they know about... _Quashing that faint flicker of hope before it could really get the better of him, he tried to reign in those feelings. _So many things've gone wrong—who am I to hope that things might turn out to be _right_ this time around? _It was a nice sentiment, but as he'd learned the hard way, holding hope for something that might or might not have happened, and having that hope crushed, was worse than thinking it wouldn't be possible to begin with in the first place.

A sharp nudge to his shoulder made him look up. "Watch where you're going," snapped the magenta haired soldier, whipping around; as she did so, Hope caught the glint of several silver rings braided into her hair, reflecting the bright moonlight. He bit back a response as well as the rising sentimentality. Someone else he'd known had had equally of a sharp tongue and abrasive attitude—and only the Maker knew where she was now. Nearly tripping over his own feet, he was pushed into the warm brightness of a small, cluttered room, lit by the dim light of a single lightbulb.

The door behind him was closed with a sharp _snap. _

Motioning for him to sit at one end of the messy table, Hope saw out of the corner of his eye the smaller woman lean back against an overstuffed bookshelf, crossing her arms before lowering her gaze to the gauntlet on her arm. The angle he'd noticed it before had hidden its deadliness—the sharp, polished blades at its end glinted even in the dimness of the room. The small clearing of a throat brought his attention back to the man across from him. "So," he began quietly. "I presume I was right in my assumption that you are _not _from this timeline."

It was a couple of heartbeats before Hope recovered from the surprisingly even tone that the statement was presented it. "S-So, you _knew... _But how?"

The man crossed his fingers, resting his chin on his conjoined hands before meeting his gaze evenly. "Maybe I should introduce myself before going any further. My name is Lehran—Lehran Isl Eshban. And," he continued, gesturing to one side, "this is my assistane, Nephenee." Hope cast one glance towards the young woman, who gave the slightest of nods in their general direction, before turning her attention back to the dark window.

Swallowing, his mouth didn't seem to want to cooperate with his mind. "It's—I'm Hope. Hope Estheim. But how did—" The man cut him off with a discreet gesture before standing up.

"I should explain," he said evenly, "before your questions get too out of hand for the limited time we have at the moment."

Averting his gaze to his lap, Hope reminded himself that the man probably wasn't used to getting interrupted. "Right. Sorry," he mumbled. _But he seems willing enough to answer me, so maybe, just maybe... _

"I think your first question was '_how did we know who you were'_, correct?" Beginning a pace, the man stopped beside the closed door. "It's a long story, but in short, time-space anomalies are part of what I research." Turning his gaze to him, Hope was startled by the even intensity in the man's amber eyes. "Maybe it's a long stretch to say we were expecting you, but when you turned up on the street, I wasn't surprised."

Hope closed his mouth tightly, pressing his lips together tightly, before more questions could make their way out of it.

"It's not the first time this has happened, you see. Ever since Cocoon's crash ten years ago, odd events seem to have been happening. People disappearing, others seeming to appear out of nowhere. It happens in intervals: your appearance just happened to be the latest in a string of odd events." Lehran let out a sigh, resting a hand on the latch that locked the door; Hope watched his knuckles whiten against the smooth wood. "Disturbances all around—the recent incidents in Nelde, and now Edina's soldiers seem to always be pressing at our borders."

Digesting this latest bit of information, the next question burst from him before he could control himself. "What do you mean, people appearing?"

The man shot him a pointed look. "Like you. Appearing seemingly out of nowhere, with no idea of where or when they are. In short, from another timeline as well." He couldn't stop the pinprick of hope this time—it was hard to ignore and the seeming confirmation of the things he'd only dared to wish for threatened to overwhelm the composure he was trying to keep. "So I have to ask you—do you _choose_ to come here, or is it..."

It was a few moments before Hope processed what the man was asking of him. Shaking his head, he tried to think back. "No... I don't think so." Trying to answer honestly, he knew he probably should've been more suspicious of the two people here in the room with him. _Light would've been angry that I was so trusting_. The bittersweet sentimentality was enough—instead of reigning himself in, Hope tried to let himself relax. They'd gone and dissuaded the guard from some form of punishment and they seemed to be the only ones that had any real inkling of what had happened to him.

_And if they were out after me, they wouldn't be trying to answer my questions, right? _

Breathing out a sound of acknowledgment, the grey haired man nodded slowly. "So it's as I thought. _This_ is the true timeline, the one that was chosen. I can only assume what's happened in the one you're from, but that's another detail for another day. It's as Nephenee said, we don't have much time. Our next expedition is soon, and—"

"Enough with the babbling, Lehran." The young woman spoke for the first time since entering the small room. "Just tell him what he needs to know to get along while we're gone, and you two can do some serious chit-chatting once we're back." Surprised at the curt tones she employed, Hope watched Lehran curiously for some form of reaction.

But if he was looking for one, he didn't get it. The older man merely chuckled, letting go of the doorknob to sit back down at the table again. "You're right again, of course." Rubbing his hands together, he crossed them again. "So. We're currently in Caer Pelyn. It's one of the border towns between this country, Araphen, and Edina."

_"Araphen and Edina are enemies—have been since the first split after the crystallization of Cocoon." _Remembering what the old man had said, Hope nodded blankly, understanding at least that much. The desire to ask questions had somewhat been abated by the realization that he_ was_, in some roundabout way, going to be getting to answers to most, if not all, of the things he wanted to know. "To the west of us is Nelde. They're a neutral country, but they've been having problems ever since their power sources ran out."

_Right. The old man did say something about... 'burning stuff', and how it polluted everything._

"And _that's _the real issue," came the quiet growl from the corner. "All of this, it's because of resources. None of this would've happened if we all had a viable source of power—if only Cocoon'd had some sort of alternative to what they were using." Turning sharply, Hope stared at the woman: Nephenee's eyes held a sense of ferocity as she spoke, right hand drumming restlessly on her gauntlet. "But when it came down, the fal'Cie that'd supported it died with it, and everyone else who was still alive had to fend for themselves; had to find new ways of supporting a civilization."

"No one had the complete knowledge of how to recreate that," continued Lehran quietly. "People quickly became greedy, trying to sell their talents as opposed to working together. That's how Araphen and Edina were formed to begin with—people banding together to try to come up with 'their' solution for energy and resources. Staking territory became more important than staying alive, but in the end, it was only Nelde that had the real resources to sustain use of energy for long. Even this," pointing up at the single dim lightbulb that hung from the ceiling, "is only temporary. We get power for only a few hours each day, and it's limited at that. People are becoming desperate; without resources, they're turning to war. And even Nelde, for all of its natural resources, paid for it in the end. The stuff they burned—it's polluting their water and air."

"And that'll reach _here_," the woman behind him snapped, "sooner or later. That's why we need to leave _now, _Lehran, before it's winter and we have the same problems all over again. I don't care if what we're doing isn't sanctioned by the Araphen leadership—this world is _dying_ and sooner or later, they'll have to see that."

Hope jerked his head up in surprise. "Wait. What do you mean, your actions aren't 'sanctioned' by the government?" _If I'm caught with people who aren't exactly on the _right _side of the law... _

Nephenee had shut her mouth into a tight line, the haughty challenge clear in her eyes. _Are you going to ask further? _was the question burning in her expression and Hope had to hold back the small surge of indignation that threatened to make an appearance. He heard a sigh from behind him. "It's not quite like that. You see, the Araphen leadership thinks that we should put all out efforts into defeating Edina, as opposed to trying to come up with a way to _stop _the resource deficit that's become more and more apparent. They think that my research on time space anomalies and alternative ways of energy production is a waste of time—better spent on developing weapons. What they _don't _understand is that soon there'll be no _use _for weapons... when there's no one left alive to wield them."

Understanding, Hope bowed his head for a moment, able to see the dilemma that was stretched before him. The enormity of the events that had transpired without him wanting or needing them to be seemed overwhelming, and for a moment, he wanted to curl up in a corner. _Why couldn't... _But wishing things would be better weren't going to make them that way, and sooner or later, he'd have to deal with it. _Somehow. But... _"Can I ask one more thing?" The quiet question sounded desperate, even to himself, but _he had to know. _

Lehran paused by the door, stopping his hand as it went to open it. "Go ahead."

Taking a deep breath, it was like every string of fate that'd tied him to this particular timeline hung suspended on those words. "You said that... people appeared here, in intervals, right? So have you met anyone else that has? Anyone—"

"Anyone you know?" He was cut short, surprisingly, by the even tone of Nephenee. "Quite possibly. Appearances?"

Hope swallowed thickly, trying to shelve his surprise at being answered so quickly by what he wanted to know. Stammering, he tried to gather his thoughts. "Shoulder length brown hair? He's supposed to be wearing black and blue, and carries a red weapon on his back." He watched her purse her lips, thinking.

"Not anyone that I remember like that..." Nephenee finally said quietly. "But you never know—in these intervals of, well, _strange_ events, people pop up randomly. He could still show up." Was he imaging it, or was there a hint of sympathy in her otherwise serious tone? It was probably better not to dwell on it at the moment; there was still one more thing he wanted to know and it was quite possibly more than the thought that Noel might've been here.

It was tantamount to that fact when he couldn't get the words out without croaking. "A-And, a woman with pink hair? She's got blue eyes. I-I don't know what she'd be wearing—"

He cut himself off at the sound of a growl from Nephenee. "Wait. You're working with _her_?" In an instant, she had crossed the space between them, looming in front of him with her weapon not-so-discreetly held ready at her side. If he thought she'd looked angry before, the look in her grey eyes before was nothing compared to the fury in them now. "Explain yourself. _Why _are you allies with a _murderer_?" she spat angrily. "All that girl's done since she's first appeared is kill—her and that _pet _of hers! You think—"_  
_

A hand pulled the young woman back just as Hope registered _all _of what Nephenee had just said. _A _pet_? Th-Then, that's not _Light_, that's—_

Suddenly, he was unsure of whether he'd wanted to keep going at all.

* * *

_Nelde, the Akaneia Mines—51X AF_

Darkness spread rapidly across the cold stone as Lightning stood at the entrance to the coal mine. Trying to see in the almost complete darkness, she was grateful for the fact that tonight, the clouds covered the moon. She hadn't been able to shake the sensation of being followed, and now that it was dark, she _hoped _that that would make it harder for whoever was tracking her to do so. _But knowing my luck... _

The cavern entrance was almost pitch black—she couldn't make out a single thing in the looming, almost _suffocating _darkness and the soldier inside screamed that it was unsafe, in any form or manner, to even consider going inside just now. But curiousity—and desperation—drove her forwards; she couldn't afford to be wasting time dawdling at the entrance when Serah, or whoever the hell it was, was quite possibly inside. _And I have to know. _

Stepping forwards, pressing footfalls carefully into the stone to make the least amount of sound possible, Lightning kept one hand against the stone wall. Her fingers came away sticky—peering at them closely, in the dimness she was able to make out the faintest traces of black tar. It had melted along the rock, sticky trails almost weeping down the stone. Swallowing the discomfort of the place, she had the sensation of being consumed by the darkness itself. _Get a grip_, she told herself irritably. _You're supposed to be a soldier—don't tell me that _this _is supposed to scare you. _

Increasing the pace slightly, it wasn't long before she found herself at the end of the first tunnel. By touch alone, she tried to figure out how exactly she was supposed to proceed further into the place when her right hand brushed something sharp. Slowly moving her left to it, rusted metal met slender fingertips as her hands came to rest on what seemed to be some sort of latch. Unable to see what it was used for, her next step created a sound that made her wince in the total silence. The sole of her boot had come into contact with what sounded like woven metal mesh.

_Well, looks like I've found what I needed._

Common sense screamed at her not to go—she had no idea what she was walking into and in the complete darkness, she couldn't even be sure that it would be safe. Lightning had to remind herself that knowing _how _to fight didn't mean she had the advantage in any way; she could easily be outnumbered and in the darkness, it would be impossible to find anything—or any_one_.

Caving to better judgement, she settled herself against a slab of rock that didn't appear to be sticky. Clenching her fingers into fists, she tried to let exhaustion get the better of her before thoughts she didn't want to entertain at the moment crowded into her consciousness.

But that wasn't necessary—no sooner had she rested her chin on her knees did creaking echo through the entire cavern, the mechanical clicking of machinery sending her pulse into her throat in a matter of milliseconds. Instantly pushing herself up with her weapon, Lightning closed her eyes, trying to disregard the heartbeat that was almost too loud in her ears, straining to discern where exactly the sound was coming from. _But I can't—it sounds like it's coming from above me, and there's no way I can figure out how to get there in time to..._

_Dammit!_

Cursing her inability to somehow resolve her current situation, the sound of footsteps, somewhere in the far distance caused her to press her back against the rock walls, trying to use the shadows to her advantage. Fingers tight around her gunblade, a small, faint flickering through the wire mesh that she could now more clearly make out was visible. Whoever it was was also beneath her—there was more than one, by the sound of the shouts and steps, and Lightning gritted her teeth, knowing that the tight corridor would be a hard battlefield to fight in at best and she could only hope that she could snipe off a couple before they were on her in earnest.

For a moment, she considered making her way back towards the entrance—it couldn't be more than about a hundred meters away from where she was at the moment before she remembered that whoever had been tailing her was probably outside. _Do they know that people are here? _She wanted to tell herself that there was no way that that was possible; after all, if they'd been _following _her the entire time then they had to be just as clueless about the interior of the mine as she was. Lightning couldn't shake off the sneaking suspicion that she knew was probably the truth—that whoever it was had _known _there would be people inside and... _Baited me into coming inside. For the love of the Maker, am I _that _predictable? They _knew _I wouldn't want to stick around outside because they knew _I_ knew they were there. _

_And stupidly, I came in to find...  
_

"Dammit," she hissed again. As much as Lightning would've liked to ponder how they'd managed to figure out what she was doing, and _who_ was so interested in her, this wasn't the time. The sound of footsteps was drawing closer and it wouldn't be long before _someone _found her. _Alright. Whoever the hell you are, you're about to figure out that you've bitten off a little more than you can chew._

_Count on it. _


	5. An Announcement?

**So hey guys!**

**It's been awhile since my last update, and it seems real life is determined to swamp me. Since I know you guys would rather not hear the details about that, I'll stick to the (main) reason it's been awhile since I've written (and posted) anything.**

**I'm going to assume that most, if not all of you guys, have watched the new trailers for ****_Lightning Returns._**** As excited as I am for the game itself, I can't help but feel a little robbed by what's been shown to us, because Square and I had so much of the same plot ideas running through our heads (Serah lookalike, 'evil' Noel - though in my case he would've simply landed in the 'wrong' side of the conflict) that I'm not even sure I want to finish now. It's a little discouraging to know that very similar plot points are being used, and I don't want to appear I'm trying to 'rip off' Square in any way at all. **

**That's the real reason for the long dry spell, and I'd love to hear what you guys think, to be honest. If continuing is something you guys would like to see (despite, from what I can see, the similarity in plot so far), either drop me a PM or a review or something (they're much appreciated and loved) and I'll get my fingers working on finishing Chapter 5 and onwards, as busy as my schedule is. I wouldn't be able to guarantee a regular update schedule, but it would solidify this as something I know I would finish.**

**Just so I don't make this update completely and utterly useless otherwise, the opening segment of Chapter 5 _has_ been completed and edited, so I will leave that up as a note to what I have yet to finish. **

**Much love to my reviewers as usual, for providing me with the support and encouragement to make it anywhere _close_ to the great enjoyment this site has provided me: Dustii, H-thar, LawMan, gkmader, Master of Games, and Mylaervain.**

* * *

Chapter Five: (Almost) Never Afraid Now

_Nelde, the Akaneia Mines—51X AF_

Back pressed to the cold wall, Lightning tried to force her heart rate to settle; she could feel it jumping in her throat and she tried to tell herself to calm down. _You're not a grunt straight out of the academy—you _know _how to deal with this. So deal with it. _Sharp determination edged through the twinges of unease; she _would _get to the bottom of whatever the mess she'd gotten herself in was, and the thought of finally unearthing, so to speak, facts she wanted to know made her tighten her grip on the weapon in her right hand.

The sound of metal against metal resumed.

In the dimness, Lightning could make out two things. One; that whoever it was was using the lift barely six feet away from her to navigate through the mine, and two; that whoever it was, also wasn't very skilled at trying to hide their presence. Whether they _wanted _to or not was a completely different matter, but it wasn't important at the moment—what _was_ important was that she found someone who was willing to "cooperate" with her.

She could now make out the sound of a pair of boots against the metal grating; from the sounds of it, whoever it was on the platform was either itching to get moving, or very nervous. _Preferably the latter, but who knows?_ Crouching into the shadows, Lightning watched the metal lift slowly draw level with the stone floor. There was a small pause, only interrupted by the scuffle of a pair of boots and the quiet mutter of a curse, before a dim light flared into life. Narrowing her eyes, Lightning raised a hand to shield them from the sudden glare, though it wasn't bright. Flickering on and off a few times, she heard the man mutter mutinously again. She couldn't make out all the words, but from the gist of things, she guessed he wasn't happy about being stuck with the last choice in equipment.

_Bad news for you; can't say the same for me, though._

From the way the soldier moved, she could see that he was new. _No stealth whatsoever—would you ever hear a professional cursing on the field? _But if this made her job easier, she wasn't going to complain. Pressing her footfalls carefully, so that her own boots made no sound against the cold stone, she silently inched her way towards him, muscles in her right arm tense to strike at the first opportunity.


End file.
